Clinical Activity of Daily Living (ADL)

A Clinical Activity of Daily Living (ADL) is a daily self-care activity that is a clinical quality-of-life measure.

• Context:
  • It can measured by a Person's ADL Performance Status.
  • …
• Example(s):
  • a Basic Activity of Daily Living (bADL), such as:
    • Dressing.
    • Feeding.
    • Bathing/Showering.
    • Personal Hygiene.
    • Toileting.
  • Getting into or out of a bed or chair.
  • Personal device care.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • an instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) such as:
    • preparing meals,
    • managing money,
    • shopping,
    • doing housework,
    • using a telephone.
  • an Activities of daily living assistance.
• See: Quality-of-Life Measure, Disability Measure, Functional Independence Measure (FIM).

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References

2021a

• (Davis, 2021) ⇒ https://www.medicinenet.com/adls_activities_of_daily_living/definition.htm Reviewed on 3/29/2021.
  • QUOTE: The things we normally do in daily living including any daily activity we perform for self-care such as feeding ourselves, bathing, dressing, grooming, work, homemaking, and leisure. The ability or inability to perform ADLs can be used as a very practical measure of ability/disability in many disorders.

2021b

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_of_daily_living Retrieved:2021-11-13.
  • Activities of daily living (ADLs or ADL) is a term used in healthcare to refer to people's daily self-care activities. Health professionals often use a person's ability or inability to perform ADLs as a measurement of their functional status. The concept of ADLs was originally proposed in the 1950s by Sidney Katz and his team at the Benjamin Rose Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. The concept of ADLs has been added to and refined by a variety of researchers since that time. For example, many indexes that assess ADLs now include some measure of mobility. Additionally, to be more inclusive of the range of activities that support independent living, in 1969, Lawton and Brody developed the instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). ADLs are often used in the care of people with disabilities, people with injuries, and the elderly. Younger children often require help from adults to perform ADLs, as they have not yet developed the skills necessary to perform them independently. Common ADLs include feeding oneself, bathing, dressing, grooming, work, homemaking, cleaning oneself after defecating, and leisure. A number of national surveys have collected data on the ADL status of the U.S. population. While basic definitions of ADLs have been suggested, what specifically constitutes a particular ADL for each individual may vary. Some factors that influence peoples' perception of their function level include culture and education. ADLs are categorized into basic, self-care tasks acquired starting from infancy, and instrumental, tasks learned throughout adolescence. A person who cannot perform essential ADLs may have poorer quality of life or be unsafe in their current living conditions; therefore, they may require the help of other individuals and/or mechanical devices. Examples of mechanical devices to aid in ADLs include electric lifting seats, bathtub transfer benches, and ramps to replace stairs.

2021c

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_clinical_research Retrieved:2021-11-13.
  • Activities of daily living
    • The tasks of everyday life. These activities include eating, dressing, getting into or out of a bed or chair, taking a bath or shower, and using the toilet. Instrumental activities of daily living are activities related to independent living and include preparing meals, managing money, shopping, doing housework, and using a telephone. Also called ADL. (NCI)

2020

• https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-adls-and-iadls-2510011
  • QUOTE: ... ADLs are the essential tasks that each person needs to perform, on a regular basis, to sustain basic survival and well-being. The term helps healthcare professionals quickly communicate the level of assistance an individual might need or how their health is impacting their day-to-day life. ...

    One standard for defining the areas of Activities of Daily Living is the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, which defines ADLs as "activities that are oriented toward taking care of your own body." The activities are broken down into nine areas.2

    • Bathing/showering
    • Toileting and toilet hygiene
    • Dressing
    • Eating/swallowing
    • Feeding (the setting up, arranging and bringing food to the mouth)
    • Functional mobility (the ability to get from place to place while performing ADLs, either under one's own power or with the assistance of a wheelchair or other assistive device)
    • Personal device care (utilizing essential personal care items such as hearing aids, contact lenses, glasses, orthotics, walker, etc.)
    • Personal hygiene and grooming
    • Sexual activity
  • 

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